 Dear Equity Ally,
Over the past quarter, our collective work toward creating a more inclusive community has built significant momentum through major policy achievements. In the last bulletin, we shared that the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Racial and Social Equity Ordinance in May, a significant milestone that codifies equity as core to public service and public responsibility.
Building on that success in June, the County's Executive Office, the County's Attorney's Office, and the District Attorney's Office proposal for the design of the upcoming Office of Labor and Standards Enforcement (OLSE) was presented to the Board of Supervisors for feedback.
County Supervisor Dave Pine shared "having an in-house Office of Labor Standards Enforcement will allow the County to strengthen worker protections, especially for our most vulnerable and at-risk workers." The OLSE was established by a unanimous vote in December of 2023, and on June 24, 2024, the design approach was reviewed. Community members provided important feedback about the challenges they face with wage theft and the need for confidential support.
According to staff research, 11-12% of minimum wage employees have experienced wage theft. In San Mateo County, there are 132 active and unpaid judgments from the state and $4.6M owed to local workers, mainly impacting low-wage industries that disproportionately employ women, people of color, and undocumented immigrants.
The goal of the OLSE is to inform workers and employers about labor rights and increase adherence to wage-per-hour laws by expanding awareness and enforcement. The OLSE, sponsored by Supervisors Pine and Mueller, would strengthen worker protections by providing County support for fair wages.
These policy achievements signify the County's unwavering commitment to advancing equity. Please take a moment to celebrate these important milestones.
The Office of Racial and Social Justice,
Andrew Knaack, Equity and Belonging Associate
Shireen Malekafzali, Chief Equity Officer
Belén Seara, Equity and Belonging Manager
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